On April 16, 2026, Payton Rice, 20, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence and having weapons under disability in connection with the Nov. 27, 2023, shooting death of 26-year-old Kenjuan Howard.
Rice initially faced charges as a juvenile but was later charged as an adult. On May 18, 2026, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Cocroft sentenced Rice to 20-25½ years in prison.
This story first published on Nov. 29, 2023.
Police name suspect in North Linden shooting death Monday in Columbus
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy in the death of a man found shot in North Linden on Monday night.
Columbus police arrested the teen in the death of Kenjuan K. Howard and the assault of two other juveniles. Columbus Fire and Medic responded about 6:40 p.m. to East McGuffey Road and found Howard, 26, of Columbus, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police say he died at 6:45 p.m.
The victim and three other people were seen having a conversation in the area of the shooting and left in different directions, according to police. At some point, shots were fired, and a bullet hit Howard, according to police reports.
No other arrest were made as of Monday in the ongoing investigation.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man sentenced in 2023 North Linden shooting of Kenjuan Howard
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
